The fragile political architecture of the Middle East was broken to pieces by Western reckless foreign policy. In the meantime the Russian internal crisis, the lack of confidence and the anachronistic legacy of the fallen empire led to aggression towards Ukraine. Given the fact there is no simple answer to solve these crises, one fact is certain: there will be no deal without Russia, even though it has completely different interests than the West - writes Bartosz Duda (ECFR) in CIR's comment "Russia and the West: no deal? Completing a broken jigsaw puzzle".

The UN’s survival as the apex international body across three eras – Cold War, post-Cold War and the current post-post-Cold War' epoch – is a testament to the unique blend of power and morality which underpinned its creation in 1945. The UN has successfully retained membership of countries that matter in might and capabilities. But at 70, it is time to ask whether "the most important political innovation of the 20th Century" is fit for the challenges of the 21st Century. No, unless the UN's structure and modalities are reformed - writes Amrita Banerjee in CIR's comment "UN Security Council reform".

Just after the Paris talks and agreement, there is need to seriously delve into the question of managing climate change. It goes without saying that adoption of the right strategy for mitigating long-term climate change risks have been outlined by countries like China or India. If special efforts are not taken to implement the agreement on climate change concluded in Paris, the impact on agriculture and food security, human health, water resources, coastal areas would be disastrous - writes Dhurjati Mukherjee in CIR's comment "Rising temperatures. Climate plans not hopeful".

Few countries escape the middle income trap. After 100 years of wars, occupations, and rebirth, Poland's economy bears the same relationship to Germany's as it did in 1918. Today's American south bears the same relationship to the north as it did in the 1840s. Economic structures change very slowly. But the middle income trap is not an economic trap. It is a political trap. Economic tools exist for overcoming it, but few countries use them - writes Professor Salvatore Babones (University of Sydney, Institute for Policy Studies) in CIR's comment "Escaping the middle income trap".

With challenges of digital security, the traditional division between the State and the private sector is groundless, as it precludes development of effective protective solutions. The key is a broad collaboration between these sectors - more so, as the issue of cyber security becomes ever more significant due to rapid development of ICT and possibilities provided by the market - write CIR's President dr Małgorzata Bonikowska and CIR's experts Michał Szczygielski and Antoni Wierzejski in the analysis "Cyber security. Challenge for EU states", published by the India News & Feature Alliance (INFA).

Leadership and budget issues are playing a key role in discussions concerning European security. If we want to conduct joint military operations we need to have a will and money – said Hans van Baalen, MEP and vice-President of ALDE, during European Liberal Forum expert seminar in Brussels. There is also a need for strengthening cooperation between EU member states in the field of cyber security - added Pierre Chastanet, Deputy Head of Unit Trust&Security in the Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology of the European Commision. 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s short visit to India recently attaches a special symbolism to the growing relationship between New Delhi and Berlin because Indo-German relations are currently at their strongest. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union and German reunification, and the steady integration of post-liberalisation India with the global political economy, the two have found common ground from where to act in tandem to develop common policies and initiatives - writes Amrita Banerjee in CIR's comment "Indo-German ties. Exploring complementarities".